Improve productivity by minimizing livestock disease

In Atsbi, Ethiopia, the second biggest challenge with livestock after feed shortage is animal health. Animal disease reduce animal productivity, as sick animal produce less milk and meat but also tend to die.

One way to improve livestock productivity, is to offer veterinary services. At the entrance to Atsbi, a veterinary post run by the government can be found. When we arrived there, they way spraying animals with pesticide, so that they would not be attacked by mites that can lead to skin issues. In the rainy season they spray to avoid ticks who are the carriers of East Coast Fever.

A cow or two sheep get sprayed for 1 birr, a heavily subsidized price.